The present invention relates generally to hair dryers, and more particularly to an improved bonnet-type hair dryer offering improved performance and convenience of use.
One factor which bears heavily on consumer acceptance of portable hair dryers for home use is the ease with which such hair dryers can be used. Preferably, the user should be free to perform other activities while the hair dryer is in use, and the set up and dismantling of the hair dryer prior to and after each use should not be unnecessarily difficult or time-consuming. Soft-hat or bonnet-type hair dryers, wherein a bonnet of flexible plastic material is fitted over the head of the user and connected by conduit means to an associated blower and heated power module, have proven popular for these reasons, since the light-weight bonnet frees the user from having to sit in a particular position and is easily put on and taken off by the user.
One disadvantage of prior art bonnet-type hair dryers has been the hose connection required between the bonnet and the power module for conveying heated air to the bonnet. This connection confines the user's activities to a relatively small area while the dryer is in operation, and exposes the power module, which necessarily has to be placed on a nearby supporting surface, to breakage should the user forget about the connecton between the bonnet and the power module and accidentally pull the power module off its supporting surface. Also, there is necessarily some heat loss in the flexible hose connection, so that optimum efficiency in such hair dryers is difficult to obtain.
Attempts at improving the convenience of use of bonnet-type hair dryers have centered on providing a power module integral with the bonnet, either supported solely by the bonnet, or by the bonnet and a brace extending to the shoulders and neck of the user. Those arrangements depending on the bonnet for support have not proved satisfactory because of inadequate support for the power module, which tended to shift position with movement of the user's head, creating a feeling of apprehension and general discomfort to the user. Those arrangements utilizing a brace to transfer a portion of the weight of the power module to the user also have not proved satisfactory, since the brace undesirably restricted movement of the user's head and the power module was still dependent on the flexible plastic material of the bonnet for stability.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable hair dryer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable hair dryer which because of its construction provides optimum comfort during use and requires a minimum amount of time and effort to set-up for use and disassemble for storage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable bonnet-type hair dryer which provides improved efficiency and convenience of use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bonnet-type hair dryer which is simple in design and construction and which can be conveniently manufactured by known manufacturing techniques.